Peloton

[s1030]

Is a Peloton Bike worth it? or subscription? any thoughts or advice is appreciated!

[Mukluk4]

If you like spin classes and can motivate yourself (instead of peer motivation) they are pretty nice.  It's one hell of an investment, that requires some considerable commitment. 

With that said, I bought a stationary bike at a yard sale for $30 that is serviceable for what I need it for (use when it's raining/snowing or when I'm gaming).

[USAF-Larry]

I get so much more enjoyment from riding my bike outdoors, with changing scenery and changing terrain. I spent less than $200 for my hybrid mountain bike, which is about 10% of the cost of a Peloton.

[emili]

I don't think I can ever justify paying that much for a stationary bike. Not when I can use one at the gym I am already paying a membership for and stream classes on my phone or pad. There are really good bikes for much less and you can always stream a class or actually go to one. I am very interested in hearing from people who have one..

[39cliff · Accepted solution]

I have owned once since October and it has changed my life!! Hard to believe but more motivating than going to a spin class,  all without leaving my house.  My hair can be a mess, I can wear what I want and there is no travel time.  Worth every penny and the 7 1/2 lbs that I lost a bonus!! The instructors are the absolute best and the bike itself shows you the stats so there is no way to go light on the resistance which I’ve done at the gym.  You follow their lead and I guarantee you’ll feel it within weeks!

[dkeen06]

how much is a bike?  I LOVE spin, and does anyone know of a place to download spin routines?  I have access to spin bikes at the gym when there is no class.  

[WendyB]

@dkeen06I would go to the Peloton site and look for a store locator

[phatbitzr]

I've seen whole sessions online back when they had them, and I can say they are just asking for people to get injured.  They are just bouncemasters spinning the pedals as if the chain has fallen off.  There were only 1 session where they did any work, and it was when a visiting pro from the Trek cycling team was teaching, and for the freds, it would have been super boring because it was just about cranking out the watts at moderate cadence for a long time.

[Annabel398]

I've had my Peloton for about six weeks now and it has seriously changed my attitude about exercise.

I have never been a gym person. I'm not up for pumping iron for an hour, and the idea of walking on a treadmill or doing an elliptical bores me to tears. I know lots of people watch TV on the treadmill, but I'm not a big TV watcher either. For a shorter workout, fine.. but then you've spent 15 minutes getting there and parking and getting onto the floor, plus showering in who knows what kind of conditions, and another 15 minutes drive home. Just not for me.

I tried SoulCycle last year and although it was intimidating, I did enjoy the energy. I did not enjoy the flying sweat from the overenthusiastic people bopping away, and my eardrums took a beating too. Still, it was the most fun I've had in the name of exercise in a while. But yow, pricey! And being well over the average age (and weight) of the group was sometimes depressing. And there was still that "drive there, find a parking place" thing adding 30-40 minutes to the total time.

Finally decided to go ahead and buy a Peloton, after pondering it for nearly a year. Speaking of pricey, you're thinking, and yeah you're right. However... OMG this thing is fun! All the motivation of a really good spin coach, with none of the drawbacks. The only person flinging sweat is me. I can turn the music as high or low as I want. Ditto with the lights. I can pick and choose the music I want to work out to... literally, I can search for individual songs and bring up classes that contain those songs. I can dress up in bike gear without worrying about the bumps and bulges of my less-than-perfect bod. 

All the readouts are what really motivate me. They keep a different PR (personal record) for each length of class, so your 10-minute class PR is separate from your 45-minute class PR. Yes, they have 10-minute classes! If you have a heart monitor, it shows you which heart rate zone you're in throughout the ride. You can always see what cadence (speed) and resistance level you're riding at. There's a leaderboard "for all time," which I usually ignore, and "here now" which I like a lot. You always see your previous PR, so I usually compete against myself rather than the board, though tastes differ. The stats can be set up to sync with Fitbit, btw, so the workouts show up in Fitbit (under Exercise, not Steps, obvs) within seconds of completion. 

The coaches are absolutely world-class--very motivating, pushing you to do your best but never in a way that will shame you. "Listen to your body" and "you do you, just showing up means you're doing more than most people" is their theme. They will all constantly remind you about form, and there's a class dedicated exclusively to setting up the bike (it's adjustable seat forward-back, seat height up-down, and handlebars up-down). After every bike ride, they will pop up a choice of four follow-up classes, which typically include a stretch, a short cool-down ride, and some kind of arm or core training. Oh yeah, it's not just biking... the subscription offers biking, stretching, strength, yoga, meditation, walking and running. One subscription per bike, not per person, which means that you can add family members to your subscription and then they have access to the digital content (via app or website).

You can find pretty much any kind of music you like. There are "programs" which are curated sets of classes, like Peloton 101 (two weeks of beginner training). You have literally thousands of pre-recorded classes to take, and a dozen or so live classes per day get added. There are monthly challenges for number of days working out and number of "miles" biked.

I started slow--I think I did maybe five rides in the first three weeks--but now I'm riding 4-5 times a week, for longer rides. I can tell that my calves have already gained a little muscle, and I can ride significantly harder and longer than when I started. I'm seriously addicted... it's the first time in my life I've looked forward to exercising. 

I didn't finance it, but if you do, the monthly payment is around $100, which is less than you'd pay for SoulCycle once a week where I live. I got a $100 referral code from the woman who cuts my hair... that went towards accessories (for me, a mat to protect my carpet from all the sweat plus hand weights plus bike cleats). The referring person gets a $100 credit for the Peloton boutique (so, she got basically some clothes). KKRNJX is my referral code, if you decide to buy. (If you already bought, you can call customer support and they'll add it on!)

Can you tell I love my Peloton? 

Edited to add:

HAHAH can you tell I didn't notice the date on this posting?!

[Baltoscott]

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@Annabel398 wrote:

I've had my Peloton for about six weeks now and it has seriously changed my attitude about exercise.

...

Can you tell I love my Peloton? 

Edited to add:

HAHAH can you tell I didn't notice the date on this posting?!

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Thanks for the review @Annabel398.  Now, if you come back next year with the same enthusiasm, I will REALLY be impressed :-).

As an aside, I've got a co-worker who has had one for about six months.  I haven't talked to her about it lately, but she said a lot of the same things as you about the trainers and convenience.  I think it is a good choice for some folks. 

My thought is, if you like it, and you do it, it is worth it.  And if after a while you don't use it that much, you can sell it.  

[Annabel398]

Agreed... if I sold it today (but I wouldn’t!), I would probably get back all but around $450 of what I’ve spent on bike + subscription. (Pelotons sell in my area for ~$1900 used.) I’ve done 32 rides so far... so about $14 a ride. Oh, and my spouse has done 22 rides too... so that’s more like $8 a ride. (SoulCycle = $27-30/class) That’s not even counting the other classes I’ve done (yoga, arms, meditation). And it’s right here in my den, so I can jump on and get my heart going whenever I feel like it. Sweet!

Maybe in six months or a year we’ll get tired of it... but even then, I expect we’d be able to sell it for a large fraction of original price. In my opinion, it is worth the money no matter what, because I now look forward to exercising, in a way I never have before. 

[GiveEmKel]

Cannot even imagine what this reply is pertaining to. Has no relevance to a Peloton bike. I’ve had one for some time and just had to reply to this post. Bizarre. I respectfully say that you need to go to a store yourself and take a test ride. Your post has nothing to do with a Peloton bike. Have a very nice day.